MOON CALLER from Penny Davies & Roger Ilott

MOON CALLER new music from PENNY DAVIES & ROGER ILOTT

For over 30 years PENNY DAVIES & ROGER ILOTT’s  performances of songs such as Hey Rain!, Where the Cane Fires Burn, Beside a Railway Line, Ridin’ on the Fruit Train, The Monkeys Sing Soprano and When the Cooper’s Coming Down have been taken to Australia’s heart and are part of the Australian psyche.

MOON CALLER is their latest release and features son Jordy on drums along with old bandmate Jed Hudson on bass – creating a strong rhythmic feel on every track. The album features songs about people, climate, greed, the price of war, human achievement and human frailty, the lessons of history, bushrangers, growing up and growing older.

The moon is a strong symbol throughout this new album – with its focus on the mysteries and the tides of human life on this planet. MOON CALLER is their 17th album. Tracks:  She’s Like A Tree, Aurelia, Four Horsemen, The Circle Game, Crazy Weather, O’Mara’s Front Verandah, The Goldfield, Wet Season Blues, Song Of The Artesian Water, Pte. Herbert Thomas Scard, Must Have Been The Moon, Armstrong, Goodbye To Your Schooldays, Peaceful, Storm King Jam.

Rhonda Vincent & The Rage

In Edmonton, Alberta at McDougal United Church

Alan with Rhonda Vincent

Rhonda Vincent has been performing on the music scene for almost thirty years. She’s a singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and band leader. Rhonda Vincent is a true ambassador of bluegrass music. She has been awarded Female Vocalist of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association for several years. Playing with Rhonda is her group of top-notch pickers called The Rage. They are Hunter Berry on Fiddle, Kenny Ingram on Banjo and Vocals, Mickey Harris on acoustic bass and vocals and Josh Williams on acoustic guitar, mandolin and vocals.

Rhonda Vincent and The Rage record on Rounder Records.

To find out more about Rhonda Vincent & The Rage and their music including concert dates, visit Rhonda’s personal web site.

Nenes

Nenes is a group of 4 women who sing Okinawan folk songs and perform on traditional instruments and in traditional Okinawan costumes. While Okinawa is today considered part of Japan, it has its own distinct culture. Okinawa is also a tropical island which many people enjoy visiting. Traditional Okinawan music is usually played on a 3-stringed instrument called a sanshin, which is similar to the Japanese shamisen and perhaps even related to the banjo. Okinawan music has a very syncopated rhythm which has been called “Japanese reggae”. Many people find the music has a very earthy and festive feel to it. The group Nenes was formed in 1990 by China Sadao, who brought together 4 musicians who had been performing separately. The group soon became surprisingly popular given that their music was well outside of the pop mainstream in Japan. Their independently released Ikawu CD sold well and the group signed to Sony. Ryuichi Sakamoto recorded with them and took them on a European tour, which brought them a much bigger following. Nene seems to aspire more to being cultural ambassadors rather than pop stars. Nenes plays a wide range of events and venues, including their residency at a club in Naha. The membership of Nenes changes from time to time, but the group remains very much dedicated to presenting the traditional sounds of Okinawa.

Big Water

Big Water is the latest release from Penny Davies & Roger Ilott

Three years in the making, BIG WATER is a new album from Penny Davies & Roger Ilott. BIG WATER is certain to enchant fans with 14 thoughtful & musical tracks. BIG WATERS starts with one of Roger’s compositions, Turn The World Around– a persuasive plea for change – & ends with the Pete Seeger classic Turn! Turn! Turn!’ The songs range from the poignant story of an orchardist forced to bulldoze his trees (Pushing It Down), to the nostalgic memoir of Rusty Dusty Days, a reference to the band in which Roger & bass player on BIG WATER, Jed Hudson, almost made the big time. Jed’s return, along with Roger & Penny’s son Jordy on drums, Dobro, slide guitar & back-up vocals, marks a creative change from previous albums.

Cindy Church in Edmonton

Cindy Church is originally from Bible Hill, Nova Scotia. She spent 20 years in Western Canada before heading east to Toronto where she makes her home. Cindy is firmly grounded in country & cowboy music. But her heart is is equally grounded in gospel, blues and jazz with warmth and tone that demands attention. Cindy is so also easily able to mix genres with ease in anything she does. Cindy is a regular performer in Alberta. SHe performas regularly at the Full Moon Folk Club in Edmonton. In 1984, she teamed up with guitarist Nathan Tinkham and the two were soon part of Ian Tyson’s band the Chinook Arch Riders. Cindy has sung background on three of Ian Tyson’s albums and he has sung a duet with her on her most recent album. In 1987, Cindy and Nathan teamed up with David Wilkie and became the Great Western Orchestra. This was a trio that achieved national attention and acclaim with their 1988 self-titled album, Great Western Orchestra. Over the past years, Cindy has made appearances on Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe program on CBC radio. Cindy now follows her her solo career as well as playing with Quartette. Her third and self-titled album, Cindy Church, was released on the Stony Plain label. Cindy also tours with Lunch At Allen’s.

Camille Te Nahu & Stuie French

Camille Te Nahu & Stuie French,

2006 Australian Independent Group of the Year

The Pigram Brothers

The Pigram Brothers are from Broome in the Northern Territory of Australia. They are the country band the Pigram Brothers. They are Alan, Steve & Peter Pigram with their story telling & easy relaxed Australian country blues. It’s Salt Water Country! The Pigram’s new CD “Under The Mango Tree” was released in the spring of 2006. Steve Pigram is the main songwriter of the band, Alan is the organizer and the one who was prepared to take the band step by step along the road to greater success. Four CDs, several overseas tours and a hit musical later, Alan reckons it was all worth it. Their journey began back in the 70s when bands like Broome Beats kindled an urge in the young Alan to get out there and play music. It wasn’t easy. There was no real music scene in Broome and the guys had to start from scratch buying the gear and getting the money together. Listen for the Pigram Brothers with their Salt Water Country on Radio Nagasaki this spring. In the meantime, visit their website and hear the Salt Water music of The Pigram Brothers Band.

Owana Salazar

Owana Salazar was born into a family well versed in music and deeply rooted in Hawaiian history. She possesses the ability to reach out in song to intimately embrace her audience wherever she goes. Owana’s profound interpretation of Hawaiian classics, traditional and contemporary music and jazz standards, is truly a reflection of her ancestry and upbringing in knowledge and culture. No matter what genre of music Owana performs, she will bring the listener to an unforgettable experience. Her first recording in 1986, “Owana and Ka`ipo, In Kona” was final ballot nominee in the category of Most Promising Artist in the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, an island music industry salute. The following year, her second recording, “Owana”, was final ballot nominee for Contemporary Hawaiian Album of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year

Led Ka’apana

Meeting Led Ka’apana

Alan Budd with Led Ka’apana